PC Games of Summer 2006

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Who wants sun when you can bask in the cool blue glow of a computer screen?

By Tom McNamara, Dan Adams

Ah, summer. Sandy beaches, girls in bikinis, band camp, and world domination with an iron fist of rage. There's nothing like starting out the day with a daiquiri on the hammock and ending it with a sword up someone's guts. The long days and warm nights have arrived again, according to THQ, Vivendi, 2K Games and others, it's high time for saving civilization, destruction derby, forging a galactic empire, and riding dinosaurs. As all release dates are subject to settling during shipment, this list is not set in stone, and there were a few that didn't make the cut because they were coming out in "September," which often means "sometime next year, maybe." And since the expansion pack to World of Warcraft will apparently not arrive until the end of the year, publishers can publish in earnest before the flesh-eating juggernaut vampire beastwolf of an MMO is unleashed upon a suspecting public.

So here it is, kids: A sample list of games to keep a watch on that might soothe the migraine that is the Big Dumb Summer Movie. If you find yourself in a theater, some time in the next several weeks, wondering about what it would be like to set your hair on fire (on purpose, this time) and jump through the silkscreen, then you should probably run screaming to your local Best Buy, EB Games, or Hank's Game Hoedown and grab yourself a copy of one of the fantastically invigorating titles below.

If you have any questions, we're the pasty guys with the laptops by the pool.

What to Expect: Despite the fact that each Civ game has been fundamentally the same experience, Civ IV knocked it out of the park with sheer addictiveness, polish, and fun. In this installment, though, cities could sometimes defend themselves a little too well, forcing a would-be conqueror to devote every scrap of resource to gaining territory by force. The expansion introduces the Warlord unit, who is similar to the hero unit in Heroes of Might and Magic. Although this unit can be used in the same way as other Great People -- starting golden ages, becoming Great Specialists -- his specialty is providing attached units with combat enhancements. The expansion also introduces Shaka of the Zulus, Stalin, Churchill, and several other historical leaders. Each civilization will also get a unique building; the Americans can finally build their own strip malls. Oh, and there's also several historical scenarios. And you can turn weaker nations into vassals. We're already drunk with power!

What to Expect: Dungeon Siege II was one of those games that got it hooks in you, provided you gave it some time. It was a pretty straightforward dungeon crawler, but with some character progression, inventory management, and art style that elevated it above its competitors. Now comes Broken World, the expansion pack that will bring an end (we're told) to the story of Aranna. But it's not just more stuff. The voice acting has been completely overhauled, there are two new and interesting hybrid classes, and there's fresh content for both new and pre-existing characters. Hand-designed dungeons also lead into challenging encounters, beyond just clicking the swing button faster. Since MMOs, RTSs and shooters dominate the platform, it's nice to see someone going in a different direction.

What to Expect: The ragdoll stunt events of the original FlatOut were a hit at the office; when we're pounding out articles, sending ragdoll men flying hundreds of feet into a larger-than-life dartboard is a great stress reliever. FlatOut 2 continues the playground of mayhem and includes the race and destruction derby modes from the first installment, and the whole thing has gotten a shiny facelift that will send your battered and embattled driver through the countryside, city streets, and strip malls (sans pedestrians, that is). The sixteen cars of FlatOut 2 are customizeable, and the tracks have risky alternate routes and "crash hotspots." As before, the point isn't necessarily to cross the finish line first, but to inflict the most pain on everyone around you. With online capabilities for all versions of FlatOut 2, we can't wait to mow down our friends and neighbors from the safety of the living room.

What to Expect: GTR-FIA emerged last year as a surprisingly good racing sim, and its sequel, coming out just over a year later, is adding an impressive amount of improvements, considering how much time has passed. Like DirectX 9 support, for one thing. You'll now get some neat effects on the ground and vehicle textures that add realism, which is of utmost importance in a sim game. There's also a true day/night cycle, which comes in handy for the Proximus 24H. Yes, that's a tournament that ends with a race that lasts for twenty-four hours. Then there's the ghost lines that trace previous driving performance, or someone else's performance, or recommendations on how you should perform. You'll see this the most in the new Driving School, and the whole shebang facilitates fun by allowing you to instantly restart any race (as opposed to the game having to re-load the track every time you want to start from the beginning).